Spain: Winner of women’s races receives a food processor

Spain
Sexism allegations: Winner of women’s races receives a food processor

It was probably meant well: the winner of a women’s race in Spain received a food processor as a prize. Other runners received fat-free snacks. This led to a sexism debate.

After their World Cup title in 1989, the players of the German national soccer team received a coffee service as a bonus from the DFB – while there was a nice sum of money for the men. History is still a popular reference when it comes to the status of women’s football. Something similar happened at a running event in Spain.

In Madrid, on the Spanish Mother’s Day, the Women’s Racer, i.e. the “Women’s Run”. The race ran over seven kilometers through the Spanish capital and, according to the organizers, should, among other things, set an example against domestic violence and raise awareness for breast cancer. 32,000 runners started. In the end, Serbian Ivana Zagorac was the first to finish – and was rewarded for her victory with a bonus that could hardly be more stereotypical: she got a food processor.

Spain: Women’s race becomes a PR flop

The case attracted a great deal of attention in Spain, and the gesture, which was certainly well-intentioned, was seen by many as sexist. Especially since the food processor was not the only problematic prize for the winner: other runners received fat-free food. At the latest when the Spanish Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities addressed the issue, the event became a PR disaster for the organizers.

“If you win: housewife, and if you don’t win, at least you lose weight,” Angela Rodriguez tweeted. After sharp criticism, the organizers apologized: “We regret if women felt offended by this.” Measures are to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, the organizers at least defended the fat-free snacks for the runners: “We apologize but we do not consider this a sexist product and ideal for all runners who want to improve their eating habits.”

Sources: “Guardian” / Women’s Race auf Twitter / Angela Rodriguez on Twitter

Watch the video: The German language is often sexist. Whenever it seems to exclude one gender, justice is gone. A little girl notices something similar in the English language.